Someone Up There
by bbb136
Summary: Now if he could only reach just a little bit further... then he'd finally be able to- CRASH! Axel's day started badly. Though maybe, just maybe, Fate would be so kind as to let him bow out gracefully?  The heck it would. Akuroku, mentions of Zemyx.


**Happy Birthday Napper42! Sorry its so late :'( I was in the middle of typing a reply when i got inspiration for this- so tada! One crappy birthday fic, all wrapped up in disclaimers and smileys! :) -If I could email you skittles, I would.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, SexyBack or the Iced Tea company Lintons. I am however the one who turned this story into YAOI. ;D And thus made it awesome. (LAWL, modesty is overrated..) **

It was official.

Someone Up There hated him.

Axel shot the bombsite that was the renowned and esteemed Linton's another exasperated glare.

It had happened when he'd been categorising the ancient dusty tomes located at the very back of the bookstore where it was darker, quieter, and lonelier. Categorising was never a fun task, it involved moving a huge pile of various works from one end of the room to the other, and lets not forget these things are _heavy_. (Axel was sure he'd put on at least five pounds of muscle since he'd started working here a few months ago.)

Then you had the process of finding the correct places to actually put the books. It was extremely difficult and tedious, plus any mistakes –whether small or big- resulted in their Linton's owner (The Bitch) Zexion grilling you till your ears bled and scattering your bloody pieces around like potpourri after he lovingly hacked you to death with his precious-

Okay so maybe that last part wasn't entirely accurate but Axel wouldn't put it past the man. There was something incredibly off about Zexion and it wasn't the fact that his natural hair colour was navy blue.

…Though that was kinda freaky but back to the story.

It was because of the dangers involved with messing up that when the redhead realized that a thick volume about Tibetan Lilies belonged on the very top shelf he had no choice but to fetch The Ladder.

The Ladder was an old rusty structure with very few- very loose- rungs. A normal size person would have difficulty using but coincidently Axel was freakishly tall (Demyx frequently referred to him 'Bean pole Man') so he was able to master The Ladder with minimal injuries. Other employees had a nasty habit of falling off.

But Axel didn't really care about how useful his height was- he was too busy being annoyed about how if he was a mere three feet bigger then he would be able to reach the bloody top shelf without having to hulk a ton of flaky copper back and forth in the aisles.

That was another sign (in Axels opinion) that someone Up There hated him. He was way too _short_.

So short that the redhead was forced to lean up on The Ladder to wedge the Tibetan Lily book into it's proper (as deemed by the Sacred- _Zexion's_ words- Alphabetising database which Axel accidentally crashed earlier that morning) he lost his balance. But instead of falling to the floor in a pile of aching limbs Axel quickly swung his body back at last minute and managed to stay upright.

Shame he was riding The Ladder like it was a pair of stilts.

At that point Axel would have been thinking the usual thought 'Someone Up There hates me!' but he was way too concerned about the fact that even with his long arms he couldn't reach the sandwiching bookshelves and that if he fell now it would _really_ hurt. While he wobbled there, desperately trying to think of anything that would help him get down, Fate got bored and did the job for him.

A violent lurch on The Ladder sent him flying into the left bookcase and with a stomach churning crash, sent it slowly tipping over into its neighbour, which fell into its neighbour, which fell into its neighbour…

Like dominoes the shelves which had given Axel so much grief toppled over and books went flying. Within seconds one of the most important sections of the shop was wrecked.

**OoOoO**

Which brings us back to Axel's current predicament.

Zexion loved his books.

And I mean loved.

Loved as in Obsessed.

Obsessed as in if you spoil them you will Die.

And Axel, judging from the amount of pages floating dazed in the dusty air, had spoiled quite a lot.

He was so fucked.

"Hey, you."

The sudden voice pulled Axel out of his inner panic and his hands, which had been previously wringing out his scarlet locks like a man possessed, faltered. The speaker was a rather short golden haired boy who had just appeared out of no where-the redhead hadn't even heard him come in!

'Well…' Axel inwardly winced. 'With all the noise this mess caused I guess I'm not that surprised…'

"Are you listening?" The sharp impatient tone brought Axel's emerald eyes back to the stranger again, and under further inspection, he liked what they saw.

The blonde was dressed in a baggy pair of jeans with a dark blue jacket, a shade darker than the colour of his narrowed cerulean eyes. A chequered wristband was looped around his left wrist flashing on his crossed arms. An irritated and incredibly unimpressed frown slightly darkened the effect of his cute face ('Bless…') but overall Axel really _liked_.

A lot.

Almost reflexively Axel straightened up from his unattractively hunched position on the floor, his mouth already widening into a flirtatious smile showing all of his gleaming white teeth.

"Why hello there cutie," He leered. "I didn't hear you come in…"

"Evidently."

Ouch. Blocked.

But Axel was undeterred by the rather cold response, he pressed on determined. Every hot pocket needed warming before you could eat it after all.

"What's a cutie like you doing in a boring old bookstore eh?" That's right, just set the conversation moving…

"It's my bookstore."

Wait what?

"Your…bookstore?"

"Yes. My bookstore."

"But Zexion owns this place!"

"_Mr Doux_ just watches it for me. I'm the real owner."

'Zexion's French? That explains a lot.' But Axel disregarded that interesting discovery with a mental shake of the head. He was completely flabbergasted. "But you're just a kid!"

The 'kid' ('Or should I call him 'Boss' now?') glared at him, gaze like ice. Maybe Axel had touched a nerve.

"My age is no concern of yours," Yep, definitely a nerve. "What is of concern however," Maybe two nerves. "Is what _you_, have done to my shop."

Make that ten nerves.

Axel was suddenly very aware of his situation. He had the _real_ boss of Linton's right in front of him who had just seen him single-handedly destroy half of his bookstore. And quite honestly with the look he was getting, the blonde looked a hell of a lot scarier than Zexion could ever be.

'Oh you fucking Gods,' The redhead gave the indifferent ceiling a venomous stare. 'Tricking me into thinking I had some good luck, you dirty sneaking sons of -'

"Axel!"

The aforementioned opened his mouth quizzically. "How do you know my-"

"Its my job to know idiot."

Oh yeah.

"It's also my job- my _right_- to get rid of anything I don't want in my shop. Which includes you." On second thoughts the blonde added. "And that ladder of yours, honestly, it's completely unsafe, what where you thinking using it?"

"I didn't _want_ to. But I had to so I could get your books up onto the top shelf, I was just acting like a good staff member, err… what's your name?"

"Roxas. But it's Mr Hansha to you."

"Well okay Mr _Hansha_." Axel drawled, drawing out the 'sha' in a nasally tone. "No need to get all cutting."

"There is every need to get all cutting!" Axel involuntarily took a step back. Boss man Roxas was on the verge of completely blowing up.

"You-" Roxas began, an accusing finger pointed up at his face. "Have destroyed the entire reference section, my reference section! The amount of damage caused will takes _weeks_ to fix and you, Axel, are just standing there like some… Prince Charming!"

"…"The redhead just stared dumbfounded at the smaller boy who was glaring darkly at him with his fists curled into little balls at his side, until the more dirty corner of his mind took in what Roxas had just said.

The leer, which had fled at very instant the blonde's mood took a turn for the worse sprang back into place with newfound vigour.

"What did you just call me?"

Roxas's angry eyes didn't waver. Neither did Axel. Outwardly, at least.

Inner Axel however was throwing a fit. 'Shit he's going to fire me and then I'll get chucked out of my apartment and have to move in with Demyx who'll be so happy and make me bake cookies with this new boyfriend of his but he's bound to be as cheerful as Demyx so I won't get a moments-'

The blonde's tired groan forced Inner Axel to falter. Roxas's unbreakable mask (because now it was clear that was all the anger was, just a cold, well crafted, mask) had suddenly slipped and Axel got a glimpse of what the boy underneath it truly looked like. The strong shoulders were slumped, his body only half heartedly attempting to prop him up, the head adorned with golden hair was bowed miserably. Roxas's previously burning eyes had lost their shine, now they were the dim blue of a weakened autumn sky. It was like Axel was staring at a completely different person.

'Then again Roxas could have a depressed twin… Mmm _twins_…. Oh no stop thinking like that!' It was with great willpower (and even greater reluctance) that Axel tore himself from the pleasant images his mind has helpfully provided and back to the issue of his Obviously Depressed Boss.

"Roxas." Axel peered at him, concerned. "You alright?"

Roxas brought his head back up, a faint look of surprise on his face. "Yeah." The blonde murmured, after an awkward pause. Then he chuckled darkly. "It's just that this-' Roxas waved a hand around the half destroyed bookstore. "-Was not what I needed right now. I had enough on my plate with school when my uncle first left me this place, that's why I appointed Zexion to do the bookwork for me. But now he's moving down south with his new lover so he can't anymore, and I've got to find someone who can clear up and look after this mess _and_ keep my place at university, and its just _too much_!"

Roxas sighed in defeat. "I haven't a decent nights sleep in weeks, I hardly see my friends anymore because when I get a free moment something urgent always comes up. I just… I just want to be able to relax, even if it's just for a minute or two. Is that so much to ask?"

Axel knew that question hadn't been directed at him. No, it seemed the redhead had finally met a person who was also having trouble with Someone Up There.

'Well if you can't beat them…'

"Want to join me for a drink?"

**OoOoO**

"I think I had too much alcohol last night."

Roxas groaned as he curled deeper into the cocoon of warm blankets, batting the wandering hands away from his bare back, earning himself a smirk from his incredibly smug bed mate.

"Aw but Roxie…" Roxas snorted and turned to face the zealous redhead.

"_Roxie_?" He asked incredulously. "Is that what you just called me?"

"It's cute… just like you- _ow_!"

Axel rubbed his shoulder from where the short-tempered (as he now knew) blonde had punched him. "There's no need to be so rough Roxie."

"Whatever. Whore."

"I'm a whore? Hello, you just slept with someone you only met a few hours earlier!"

"Hello- so did you."

"Yeah, but I bought the drinks. So you're the whore."

"How the hell does the fact that you bought the drinks make me the whore?"

"Everybody knows that the guy who buys the drinks is just the guy looking for some action, the girl who drinks them is the whore being paid."

"Why am _I_ the girl?"

"Because _you_, Roxie-"

_I'm bringing sexy back, yeah!_

"... Whose phone is that?"

"I think its mine… no wait my ring tone isn't _Sexy Back_."

"It's hot and you know it."

"You're such an arrogant bastard, now go get it already! I think my ears are bleeding."

"Want me to kiss it better?"

"_No."_

"You're so cruel to me."

Never the less Axel obediently leant over the side of the bed to rummage in his jeans pockets, finally pulling an old black mobile out. He clicked the 'Accept Call' button and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Hi Axel!"_ The ever cheerful voice of Demyx blasted out from the tiny speakers at a stupidly high volume for this early in the morning (11am), forcing a flinch and suppressed curse from the redhead.

"Demyx, what's up?"

"_You didn't show to help me pack my music up last night, where were you?"_

"I was… busy. Sorry man." Axel said, distracted by the wonderful sight of the duvet gently sliding off Roxas's shoulders.

"_Its okay! I just called Zexion over and he helped me instead!"_

Axel nearly fell off the bed. "Zexion?"

_"Oh yeah I forgot you haven't met him yet, Zexy's my new boyfriend and he's amazing! He's so smart and so nice and really, really good at cooking! And he's completely gorgeous-"_

Roxas smiled, half worried half amused at the older boy who was staring in shock at his phone, not even listening to the garble of information pouring out of the device, all regarding 'Zexy-kins'. Slowly, the blonde reached over and plucked it from the ghostly fingers, disconnected the call and turned the redheads wide-eyed face towards him.

"You're so cute when you're upset." And then he pulled him in for a kiss.

Axel's disbelief transformed into lust and he almost instantly deepened the kiss, sliding backwards onto the sheets so Roxas could clamber on top of him. Soon the only noises in the dimly lit bedroom were the sounds of lips clashing and tongues battling, neither participant eager to bend to the other's will.

'Yes.' Axel thought, arms winding round Roxas's waist. 'It was Official.'

Some one Up There did hate him.

But there's a thin line between hate and love.

**Oo0-Reading this now I realize I was a bit ambiguous when it came to satisfying your request... are you alright with this?-0oO**

**Reverse the Night readers, if you haven't figured it out by now this isn't Chapter 12. That will be coming later, for now please wish Napper a late happy birthday and soak up the fluff. (Or just review and tell me what you thought of this. I'm not very good at one shots...) :P**

**By the way, if you have the balls to ask me upfront like Napper for a birthday fic- you get one. ... Maybe not on time but you'll still get one ;)**

**(R.I.P. the poor people who died in 9/11, I think it's important you all take a moment to remember and honor the number of innocent people who died that day.)**


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